Game Preview: Cleveland Browns kick off preseason against New Orleans Saints

The Cleveland Browns kick off the 2017 preseason against the New Orleans Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium tonight.

Author:
Matthew Florjancic

Published:
6:03 PM EDT August 10, 2017

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns kick off the 2017 preseason against the New Orleans Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium tonight.

For the past two weeks and all throughout the offseason program, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has had to restrain himself from hitting the quarterback as to preserve the health of his teammates.

But all of that caution goes away when the Browns kick off the preseason against the New Orleans Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday night, and Garrett cannot wait to truly show what he can do on the football field.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s preseason or a scrimmage,” Garrett said. “I want to display a most dominance when I’m on the field, so I’m trying to have a dominant performance, whether it’s preseason first series or whenever I get out there.

“I don’t think they’ve game-planned for me that much. They don’t have much film to go off of, at least not of me now, and they don’t know what I have to offer, so I’m looking forward to sending a message through this first game.”

In addition to Garrett, quarterbacks Brock Osweiler and DeShone Kizer will make their Browns debuts.

The Browns elected to make a change at quarterback ahead of the preseason home opener against the Saints, selecting veteran Brock Osweiler to start over second-year signal-caller Cody Kessler.

That decision meant rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer, selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, was leaped over on the depth chart by Osweiler, who had predominantly run with the second and third-team offenses over the first week of camp.

“I think this is just another step in the process of me trying to get better,” Kizer said. “This whole training camp is about me developing and going out and performing when my number’s called. When it comes to Thursday night, it’s been said that I’ll be the third guy to step out there. When I step out, it’s time to perform.